Matthew 19:24, “And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” Repeated in Mark and Luke, a major lesson to be taken literally.
1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money (G5365) is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
G5365, love of money, fond of silver (money), that is, avaricious: - covetous.
Avaricious is also defined as greedy, rapacious, and grasping
Applicable verses are found throughout the Bible concerning the use of/ misuse of money. Many are found in the book of Proverbs including;
Proverbs 13:7, “There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.”
One can have great riches but be a spiritual pauper, and the poorest (financially) believer is an heir to the great riches of God.
Proverbs 21:17, “He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.”
Is there really satisfaction and in luxurious living, here, wine and oil. How often have we read of the poor little rich girl? Many pursue the so-called better things in life which often drains one financially and spiritually.
As for questionable use of wealth, an example would be the oil-rich Arab countries.
Meet the super-rich Arabs
“Meet the super-rich Arabs whose life includes pet Lions, Tigers, Cheetahs, Chimps, Snakes, falcons, his n' her private jets and Collection of cars. How mega-wealthy Arab men are accessorizing their super-cars and powerboats with lions and cheetahs. Meet Humaid, He Owns Many Supercars and Many Big Cats! Humaid really is unlike any other supercar owner in the world. Why? Because he also loves big cats! He owns a selection of big cats most suited to life on the African savannah including a couple of lions, a tiger and a cheetah and he loves nothing more than posing and playing with them around his expensive supercars!”
[http://phimhotnhat.net/xem-video/video-living-with-lions-pet-wild-animals-wealthy-lifestyle-of-rich-arabs.Xequ-622YC0]
Death is the great equalizer:
Proverbs 22:2, “The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.”
We all come from the same Creator and will all be judged someday. There are no class distinctions that survive death.
Money itself is not an evil. It is the love of money leading to greedy and questionable acquisition and misuse of same that is the evil.
Money can be used for good and for evil. Wealthy families set up foundations that do a lot of good throughout the world. Sadly, there are those such as George Soros who use money as a weapon to destroy countries.
As for the question of the young ruler and why it is so difficult for a rich man to be saved, being wealthy can lead not only to pride but to boasting about what one has done. We could ask King Nebuchadnezzar how well that worked out for him. His pride and boasting resulted in seven years of eating grass like oxen. The good news is that this experience likely saved King Nebuchadnezzar’s soul.
As for tithing, we are really just giving back to God a portion what he has provided for us.
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